MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Audrey Gogniat and
Gracie Dinh shined for No. 6 Ole Miss rifle in the NCAA Qualifier against Memphis, as the team claimed a 4734-4709 victory at the R.F. Fogelman Rifle Range on Saturday.
The Rebels' (10-6, 1-3 PRC) victory marked the 10th of their season, becoming the third Rebel squad to reach double-digit wins in a season ever. It's the first time Ole Miss has reached the 10-win plateau since the 2021-22 season.
The Rebels fired their second consecutive 2383 score in air rifle, tying the third-highest mark in program history. Ole Miss has fired a 2382 or better in the event four times this spring alone.
Ole Miss has now emerged victorious in the past eight NCAA Qualifiers, with this year's team score being the highest in that span. It's the second season in a row that Ole Miss defeated Memphis in the NCAA Qualifier, as the Rebel's national tournament bid remained strong.
With Ole Miss' 4734 score, it's deciding average shifts to 4736.3, not dipping below one point of its average going into the match. The Rebels will learn their fate during the National Collegiate Rifle Selection Show on Monday, Feb. 24 at 5 p.m. CT.
The freshmen duo of Gogniat and Dinh shouldered much of the weight for Ole Miss against Memphis. The pair competed together in the second relay, finishing first and second in the entire field in aggregate scoring, and on the podium of both events for the day.
Gogniat solidified her stance as one of Ole Miss' best smallbore shooters in program history after firing the second-highest tally by a Rebel. Her 596 sandwiches her between her two other high-scoring marks, effectively giving Gogniat the top three smallbore scores in program history. She fired the school record 597 at the Patriot Rifle Conference Tournament and a 595 to initially set the record last January against Akron and Army.
She followed her smallbore performance with another 599 score in air rifle. The freshman phenom has scored at least 599 four times this spring and has only dropped below that mark twice. She had a field-leading 1195 aggregate score, which is the second highest in Ole Miss history, two points shy of Gogniat's 1197 she hit earlier this spring.
Dinh posted an 1185 aggregate, tying her career best and finishing just behind Gogniat in the individual aggregate standings. She had the third-highest smallbore score of the event at 588 and the second-highest air rifle score of 597. She tied her career air rifle record in the process, shooting nothing but 10's after the first dozen shot attempts.
Four Rebels toed the line in the first relay, with
M'Leah Lambdin serving as the headliner. She led the Rebels in smallbore and air rifle, earning an 1179 aggregate. Lambdin once again tied her career best air rifle score of 594 against the Tigers. It's her second time reaching that mark in her last two appearances.
Six Rebels competed in Memphis on Friday, Feb. 21, as a preliminary relay. No counters participated in this relay.
Katie Tedeschi and
Regan Diamond had excellent showings, scoring 1180 and 1178, respectively. Tedeschi's aggregate earned her a podium finish for the event, while Diamond led yesterday's relay in smallbore with a 589. Diamond had the second-highest smallbore score of the weekend.
The Rebels will learn their national tournament fate during the National Collegiate Rifle Selection Show on Monday, Feb. 24 at 5 p.m. CT. Should Ole Miss reach the top eight in the NCAA in scoring average, the team will prepare for its fifth-straight appearance at the national show in Lexington, Ky., on March 14-15.
